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Joe and Sylvia Davis have lived in their old farm house for the last 58 years. They have raised their grandson, Jeffrey, since he was 6 years old.

Joe is 73 years old and his health is failing. Jeffrey is 21 years old and continues to live with his grandparents. Jeffrey seems to have no ambition for the future.

Biology

Jeffrey's father's origin is unknown to him. As a child Jeffrey was dyslexic and was diagnosed with hyperactivity attention deficit disorder. Joe and Sylvia were never able to keep up with this, frustrating, high energy boy. But they have no regrets, and will do whatever it takes at any cost to help him to become a healthy, productive person.

Jeffrey is still very angry and hostile toward his mother who was never there for him and allowed his stepfather to be abusive toward him. Jeffrey now believes that his stepfather is abusing his mother. Ironically, he is just as indifferent toward her situation as she seemed to be toward his.

Child Development

Jeffrey's mother, Anne, was on drugs when she conceived him. Until age 3 Jeffrey was neglected and physically abused before the courts took him away from his mother. Jeffrey then bounced around foster care for several years. Jeffrey still remembers the Baker family that wanted to adopt him when he was 5, he liked them allot. Living with the Baker's was one of the happiest memories of his childhood. Joe and Sylvia consequently sought for custody so that Jeffrey would not be adopted out to strangers. They also broke off all ties with the Bakers so as not to confuse Jeffrey

When Jeffrey was age 9 his mother was able to get her act together enough to prove to the court that she could provide a safe home for her son. But soon after custody was reestablished his stepfather moved back in and returned to his old ways of jealousy, anger and abuse. Possibly because of such abuse, Jeffrey developed a very bad temper. Also, he did not develop well socially, he has some friends, but none of them are very close. When it comes to dating, Jeffrey is distrustful of intimate relationships, disrespectful of women, and when he does date it is never with the kind of nice girls that Sylvia wants him to be with.

Counseling

Anne had been receiving counseling when Jeffrey was a boy as part of the conditions to regain custody. Also Jeffrey had counseling as a teenager after his grandparents regained custody the second time.

Neither Anne nor Jeffrey followed through with their counseling enough to help make a lasting difference in their lives.

Demography

Anne had lived in a trailer court with her alcoholic, unemployed husband until about 12 years ago. Joe and Sylvia, her parents lived across the state in their cozy farm house with a dog, two cats, a duck and a dozen or so chickens.

Anne attempted to clean up her life about 12 years ago. She left her husband, moving closer to her parents and found a job as a waitress. She rented a small apartment in town where she continues to live today. Later she reconciled with her husband who also continues to be in and out of her life.

Economics

Anne and her husband were completely dependent on welfare when Jeffrey was a boy. Sylvia took early retirement from teaching elementary school so that she could take care of her grandson full time. And Joe was an electrician.

Joe and Sylvia are on a tight budget now that grandpa retired about 7 years ago. Jeffrey is unemployed but recognizes that his grandparents are in need of more and more care as they are getting older. He states that he is afraid a job will interfere with his ability to look after them.

Education

Joe went to trade school and Sylvia went to a teacher's college. Anne flunked out of college. She got mixed up in the wrong crowd and the downward spiral continued till she reached rock bottom.

Jeffrey struggled in school. He was placed in special education classes all the way until he graduated from high school. In the sheltered environment of his grandparents and with his poor self esteem and lack of self confidence he has never entered the workforce.

English

Proper English has always been strictly enforced in the home by Sylvia.

Same now as then

Gerontology

Joe and Sylvia are very strong minded and very set in their ways. They had very strict rules for their daughter. But they were much more relaxed with their grandson because of his fragile childhood.

Because Jeffrey was an outsider in school he seems to better relate to the older people than to young people his own age.

History

When Anne was a young child she was an overindulged, spoiled, only-child. When she was a teenager her parents decided she needed more structure in her life because she seemed so irresponsible. To this Anne reacted with increased rebellion against Joe and Sylvia's ways. Until her parents were at their wits end and caved into her.

Anne continues to be angry and resentful at her parents especially after they took custody of Jeffrey the second time when he was 11. This second time Joe and Sylvia had to fight their daughter in court and prove she was an unfit mother which was a traumatic and heart wrenching event for all parties involved.

Home Economics

Although Sylvia could bake and cook like a wizard in the kitchen, Anne had no interest in being taught homemaking skills.

Although Joe was a skilled electrician, Jeffrey had been taught nothing about his trade.

Law

Anne by virtue of her ability to create a child remained supreme in the courts of this land for many years in opposition to her parents. It didn't seem to matter that she abused Jeffrey and neglected him for years. All that she had to do was go into a courtroom and tell a judge that she wants her child back and show that she was able to be a good parent again. For too many years her rights as a parent superseded those of her child and his grandparents.

Is it any wonder that Jeffrey is as angry as he is? The laws are designed to makes losers out of everyone. The law could not provide Jeffrey with a safe and secure home. So the grandparents had to irrevocably destroy their own daughter's love for them by publicly maligning her in court in such a way that the courts would permanently terminate her parental rights once and for all.

Psychology

Sylvia had secretly suspected that Anne had a mental illness such as schizophrenia or bi polar or both, but it would have been too humiliating to have know for sure. So she always just wondered to herself.

Jeffrey has had a tendency to have fits of intense fury and rage. Sometimes his anger even frightens him, but he does not know how to control it.

Public Health

Joe and Sylvia believe that Anne's previous poor living conditions and lack of proper nutrition for Jeffrey had contributed to his poor grades in school, health problems and stunted growth.

Joe developed heart and lung disease as well as high blood pressure following retirement and now has significant increased medical expenses related to lack of sufficient insurance coverage for his medicines.

Religion

Joe and Sylvia made Jeffrey go to church every week just like they took Anne when she was a little girl.

Because Anne and Jeffrey had no faith of their own they never applied the things they heard in church personally. They never made a meaningful connection to Joe and Sylvia's religion.

Sociology

When Jeffrey was a boy Joe was torn between the role of being a parent and grandparent. On one hand Jeffrey needed the firm parental guidance of a father, but on the other hand Joe felt cheated out of the joys of grandparenting.

Joe and Sylvia want to push Jeffrey into a life of his own. They long to see him find a life for himself; to find his life calling and to discover his life partner. But Jeffrey is too emotionally confused to find anything right now.